Yarn feeding device



1951 E. 51'. PIERRE YARN FEEDING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1947 Jan. 30, 1951 E. ST. PIERRE YARN FEEDING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 28, 1947 MENTdRSI EVGENESZPJE RE;

Jan. 3Q, 1951 E. s'r. PIERRE 2539,52?

YARN FEEDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 30, 1951 5T, PIERRE 2,539,527

YARN FEEDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE YARN FEEDING DEVICE Application November 28, 1947, Serial N 0. 788,426

1 Claim.

This invention relates to mechanism for feed.- ing yarn from the cone or other source to the needles of a knitting machine. The form described herein is designed for application to a circular, independent needle, knittin machine of the Banner type although it can be applied without difiiculty to other machines of this and other types. Its primary object is to remove the yarn from the cone at a rate at least equivalent to that required by the knitting machine and, in so doing, to eliminate the variations in tension caused by the resistance of the yarn at the cone as it is unwound therefrom. Such a device must be able not only to remove yarn from a cone at varying rates depending upon the knitting requirements but it must be fully automatic even to the extent of becoming inactive when use of the yarn is discontinued.

In the knitting of a stocking the rate of yarn consumption varies frequently and over a wide range as the lengths of loops are altered, for example, or when a change is made from rotary to reciprocatory knitting. The yarn feed must be able to accommodate itself to all of these changes and, as already stated, must be also able to cease action entirely when the use of the yarn is discontinued. Although only one of the devices will be described, as many as desired may be used on a single machine, preferably one for each yarn. They may be separately driven by individual motors or other source of power or they may be connected together b gears or belts and driven from a single source. This may be some rotating part of the knitting machine itself. In any case, the object of the device is to remove yarn from the cone at a rate at least as great as it is consumed by the knitting Without at any time supplying a surplus of any consequence.

In Patent #2,399,403, there is described and claimed a device for the same purpose as that of this invention and which operates upon the same general principle. It has been found, however. that the device of that patent when used for feeding extremely fine yarns, such as -15 denier nylon, for example, is too heavy and insensitive. Such yarns require the most delicate manipulation if the very difficulties originating through resistance to unwinding at the cone are not, in effect, duplicated by the very device which is intended to eliminate it. The form of the device shown in the drawings is for descriptive purposes only. Many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

' In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an assembly of a pair of yarn feeding devices illustrated by this invention showing how they may be supported and driven;

' Fig. 2 is a plan view of the assembly in Fig. 1 with the housing in partial section;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a yarn drawing cage and the associated yarn take-up in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the structure of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 illustrates the action of one of the gravity take-ups of Figs. 1-4;

Fig. 6 also illustrates the action of the gravity take-up shown in Figs. 1-4;

Fig. '7 illustrates a modified form of a take-up;

Fig. 8 is an elevation in partial section of a driving and clutching mechanism suitable for this invention; and

Fig. 9 is an end view of that part of the structure of Fig. 3 relating to the clutch operating mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 1, the device consists of a cylindrical cage I adapted to rotate upon a vertical axis and consisting of a disc 2 into which equally spaced spokes 3 are threaded adjacent its periphery. In the middle of disc 2 is an integral hub 4 having at its upper end adisc 5 similar to disc 2 and having holes adjacent its periphery for the reception of the upper end of spokes 3. Integral with disc 5 is hub 6 provided with two pulleys I and 8 one or the other of which will receive a driving belt. Through the center of hubs 4 and 6 passes a pin 9 having a shoulder I0 at its lower end. The upper end of pin 9 is rigidly held in a bracket I I by a suitable means such as set screws I2. Pin 9 is so adjusted that the cage with its pulleys will rotate .freely. Around one of the pulleys, pulley 8 in Fig. 1, passes a driving belt I3 which also passes around a pulley I4 attached to a shaft I5 terminating in one element I6 of a clutch, the other element I! of which is mounted upon the upper end of a shaft I8. Immediately below clutch element [1, shaft I8 is surrounded by a fixed sleeve I9 below which is a spring 20 held in a recess" of a housing 2|. Housing 2| fits into hub 22 of; a bracket 23 with which bracket II has a sliding horizontal fit by a means of a pin 24 whichcan be adjustably positioned within a hole 25 of extension 26 of bracket 23 in which it is held by a set screw 21. By this means, the tightness of belt I3 can be adjusted. Bracket II is alsQadjustably slidable upon pin 24, the desired adjust-- ment being maintained by set screw 28.

A second cage 29 is also shown in Fig. 1. This assaezv is identical in every way to cage I and is also provided with identical pulleys 30 and 3|. As already described, cage I may be driven by a belt around pulley 8 corresponding to pulley 3! of cage 29. Cage 29 may be driven by a similar belt 32 which passes around pulley 30 which is the equivalent of pulley I. Each cage is provided with two pulleys for convenience in manufacture and so that they are interchangeable. Belt 32 passes around a pulley 35 on shaft I5. Therefore, both cages are driven from shaft I at the same speed.

Shaft I8 which is coupled to shaft I5, as already described, passes downward through a housing 34 and a bearing 35 and carries on its end a bevel gear 35 which meshes with a complementary bevel gear 31 freely turnable upon a driven shaft 38.

Bevel gear 31 is also provided With an element 39 of a friction clutch, the other element ii? of which is slidably splined to shaft 38 and is provided with an annular collar ii. Engaging with collar 5i is a yoke 42 on one end of lever 43 pivoted as at 44. By rockin the upper end of this lever to the right clutch element 58 can be disengaged from element 39. By rocking lever 43 to the left, the clutch elements are engaged. In this way, power is applied or removed from shaft I8 to drive cages I and 29 or rende them idle.

Automatic clutch operation is provided by a link 45 connecting lever 43 with a crank 46. This crank 46 in turn connects with a rod 4?, the lower end of which is connected to one arm 48 of a rocker 49, the other arm 55 of which is adapted to bear upon the surface of a drum 5! and to be raised by a cam such as 52 carried by that drum. As shown, the clutch is engaged when rocker 49 is riding upon the surface of drum 5I and will be disengaged whenever rocker 49'is riding upon a cam 52, the turning of drum 5I and the position of cam 52 is, of course, determined by the requirements of the machine.

In Figs. 3 and 9, there is also shown a similar driving arrangement for a third cage identical with cages I and 29. Such a cage would be operatedindividually by a separate belt and a separate shaft 53 corresponding to shaft II! which is associated with similar bevel gears, clutching mechanism and its operating connections to drum 5I.i- The three units described provide, for example, the necessary yarn feeding mechanism for the three feed knitting of the leg or other parts of a ladys sheer nylon stocking. Of course, each cage may be equipped with separate operating mechanisms throughout but for most purposes the dual mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is adequate for the control of two yarns and is easier and cheaper to manufacture, install and maintain. One or more individual units may be used to supply the requirements of additional yarns. 1

' Returning to the description of the mechanism associated with cage I, there are mounted upon bracket II two downwardly depending take-up arms Hand 55 pivoted at 56 and 5?, respectively, so as to be swingable with utmost freedom. These arms are so mounted that they will swing in a plane substantially tangent to cage I and so that they will hang substantially straight down when free to do so as indicated in dotted line in Fig. 5 and will swing towards each other and towards cageI. when urged to do so, as shown in Figs. 1,:3, 4 and 5. Y

A yarn 58 (Fig. 1) from the cone is wound around cage .I for one or more turns and is also 4 passed around take-ups 54 and after which it is threaded through the usual devices on its way to the needles. When yarn 58 is being fed, cage I is caused to rotate by the mechanism already described, the rate of rotation being such as to insure that suflicient yarn will be drawn from the cone for the requirements of the needles. The friction between yarn 58 and rotating cage I should draw the yarn from the cone at slightly more than the required rate so that any resistance offered by the cone to the removal of yarn will not be reflected in the tension of the yarn beyond cage I. During knitting take-ups 54 and. 55 will be drawn towards each other and towards cage I as shown in Fig. 3 by the pull on the yarn produced by the knitting requirements. If at any time cage I withdraws more yarn from the cone than is required by the needles, slack will be produced adjacent cage I and take-up arms 54 and 55 will swin down by gravity away from the cage andaway from each other as shown in Fig. 6. This will remove a certain amount or" yarn from contact with the cage there'- by reducing the frictional contact between the two with the result that the amount of yarn withdrawn from the cone by the cage will be lessened. In this way, the amount of yarn drawn from the cone is automatically determined by the gravity take-up arms 54 and 55 which can be.

or more yarns is automatically and accurately fitted to the knitting requirements.

If desired, a single take-up such as 54. or 55 may be used but two are preferred since their ability to remove yarn from about the cage is greater.

A modified form of take-up arm is shown in Fig. 7. This may have the same general proportions as arms 54 or 55 but instead of being an inherently rigid arm adapted to swing about a pivot, it consists of an arm 59 in the form of a very light spring attached to a sleeve 60 which can be rigidly set by screw 6| with the arm in any desired position. Normally the relaxed position of arm 59 would be substantially vertical as shown in dotted line in Fig. '7. The yarn would pass around this arm in the same manner as it passes around arm 54 or 55 but any tightening of the yarn would deflect arm 59 in the direction of the cage indicated by the full line in Fig. 7 instead of swinging about a pivot as in the case of arm 54 or 55. Arm 59 would, of course, resist the effort of the yarn to deflect it but if the spring of which the arm is composed is made light enough this resistance need not be appreciably greater than the resistance caused by gravity to the deflection of the pivoted type of arm. Both arms 54 and 55 may be replaced by this modified type of arm or, if only a single arm 54 or 55 is used, this may be replaced. The action or arm 59 is essentially the same asthat of arms 54 or 55 in that it is moved towards or away from the cage by the pull of the yarn and in so doing adds to or subtracts from the length of yarn in contact with the cage with the result that the frictional relation between the yarn and the cage is varied and more or less yarn is drawn from the cone; 7

I claim:

A yarn feeding device for a; circular, independent needle, knitting machine having needles which comprises driven means for drawing yarn from a source by the friction of said means upon yarn in contact with it and other means for varying the frictional relation between said means and said yarn during knitting by varying the length of yarn in contact with said means, said other means consisting of at least one take-up engageable with said yarn and responsive through its own resiliency to variations in yarn consumption by the needles, one end of said take-up being adjustably fixed.

EUGENE ST. PIERRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,970,242 Mayer Aug. 14, 1934 2,111,984 Meiwald Mar. 22, 1938 2,135,756 Lawson et al. Nov. 8, 1938 2,217,225 Lawson et a1 Oct. 8, 1940 2399,403 St. Pierre Apr. 30, 1946 2,422,599 St. Pierre June 17, 1947 

